Maybe this was just a genius idea to see how people would react if the stars of the commercials that are perennial Super Bowl favorites were taken away. Maybe it was a horrid mistake. Or, perhaps, a dream.
Whatever the case, the Clydesdales aren’t going anywhere.
This all started Monday, when a Wall Street Journal story detailed Budweiser’s new marketing strategy, one that would feature “Jay Z and zombies” rather than the noble equine beasts whose tales of loyalty and inter-species love always manage to make football fans sob on the first Sunday night of every February. The reason for the change, the story pointed out, is that Budweiser is being shunned by a coveted young demographic that prefers craft beers.
Bad idea. Late Monday, Anheuser-Busch announced that, while it would still go with zombies and Z in some of its ads, the Clydesdales would continue to occupy their role as the official heart-melters of the Super Bowl.
“The story this morning may have left a wrong impression – the Budweiser Clydesdales will, in fact, be featured in next year’s Super Bowl advertising and are also a part of upcoming holiday responsible drinking advertising,” Anheuser-Busch said in a statement.
Whew. Just watch the 2013 spot.
The change of heart shouldn’t have come as that much of a surprise. If we learned anything from the 2014 “Puppy Love” ad (53 million-plus You Tube views), it’s that you don’t mess with Clydesdales. They’ll come after you.
